Did you
know that the popular Ilocano favorite vegetable, saluyot
(jute leaves), originated in Egypt, and was the source of
health and beauty of the Egyptian royalties including Cleopatra?
You might as well decide to eat it too, if you want to look
young, healthy, and beautiful.

Saluyot
thrives almost anywhere in the country, requires little
care in cultivation, and can be grown year-round. It is
a green, leafy vegetable that is rich in: beta-carotene
for good eyesight, iron for healthy red blood cells, calcium
for strong bones and teeth, and vitamin C for smooth, clear
skin, strong immune cells, and fast wound-healing.

Free radicals
are highly unstable by-products created as our cells use
oxygen. Because they are so unstable, they react easily
with many chemicals inside the cells, and these reactions
can cause tremendous damage to the delicate cellular control
mechanisms. When those mechanisms are damaged, the cell
may malfunction or die. Biologists tell us that this cumulative
cell damage is the cause of many of the common degenerative
diseases: arthritis, hardening of the arteries, heart and
kidney ailments.

Vitamins
A, C and E present in saluyot "sponge-up" free
radicals, scooping them up before they can commit cellular
sabotage.

Saluyot
can make you look younger. Due to the high antioxidant activity
of saluyot, eating it reduces the appearance of wrinkles
and fine lines in the face and body. Thus, regular consumption
of saluyot can make you appear young.

Saluyot
can be prepared into dishes like dinengdeng of the Ilocano,
bulanglang, or sauteed with bamboo shoots or dried beans.
It can be steamed and pureed, mixed with chicken, and prepared
into soup like how the Japanese prepare it as molohiya.

For more
information on food and nutrition, you may write or call:
The Director, Food and Nutrition Research Institute-Department
of Science and Technology, Gen. Santos Avenue, Bicutan,
Taguig, Metro Manila, Tel/Fax: 8372934, 8373164; E-mail:
cvcb@fnri.dost.gov.ph; FNRI-DOST website: http//www.fnri@dost.gov.ph.